‘Disaster waiting to happen’: Fed up NSW cops call time on ‘babysitting’ prisoners in bold move
NSW Police will refuse all prisoner management and transport jobs that are the responsibility of NSW Corrective Services or Juvenile Justice in a bold new move.
NSW
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NSW Police officers will refuse to babysit or chauffeur prisoners across the state in an unprecedented move they say is about freeing them up to fight crime, rather than pick up the slack for other government agencies.
A critical shortage in police numbers and a crippling workload putting unprecedented strain on the front line has prompted the Police Association of NSW to direct its members to push back on prisoner management and transport jobs that are the responsibility of NSW Corrective Services or Juvenile Justice.
From July 7, police officers will refuse to pick up an inmate from prison and drive them to court. They will not attend court simply to guard a prisoner, and they won’t accept court bail refused crooks back into police custody facilities.
PANSW President Kevin Morton said prison management is not a police responsibility, and cops’ safety is at risk from the additional workload.
“Police stations are not a ‘kiss and drop zone’ for prisoners that should be in the custody of other agencies. We will no longer collect and transport, guard or hold court bail refused prisoners,” Mr Morton said.
Put simply, he said “once they wear green, police will not be seen”.
Senior police sources told The Daily Telegraph that the “prisoner taxi service” in regional areas is so crippling it is taking cops off the road for days at a time, some are even having to sleep in stations overnight because they have driven hundreds of kilometres to ferry an inmate to court, and will need to take them home the following day.
In one extreme example at Bourke earlier this year, an inmate was flown in to the town to attend a five-day court hearing, but it was the local cops who had to “drive, babysit, house and feed” him until Corrective Services returned at the end of the week to fly him back to prison.
“It is a disaster waiting to happen. There are towns being left without a (police) car on the road because the cops are off transporting prisoners. And who will cop it when something goes wrong, the police will,” a police source said.
Another concern for the PANSW is a centralised Local Court Bail Division starting next month which aims to steam line all bail matters, but could place additional pressure on cops if there isn’t the administrative staff to do the necessary paperwork depending on the court outcome.
Acting NSW Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said he was aware of the added pressure on his troops, and his first priority in the top job is to find a solution. He will meet with NSW Corrections Commissioner Gary McCahon on Tuesday to find a way forward.
“We acknowledge it’s a problem and there needs to be a shift. Police need to be focused on their core business which is investigating crime and protecting the community,” Mr Thurtell said. “My very first priority today is with Corrective Services to develop a plan to fix the problem.”
A spokeswoman for Corrective Services NSW said they were aware that police will refuse prisoner transport from July 7, and would work with police to find a solution.
“CSNSW will continue discussions with police to ensure all agencies involved in prisoner transport keep the community safe while performing a difficult and demanding task,” the spokeswoman said.
Originally published as ‘Disaster waiting to happen’: Fed up NSW cops call time on ‘babysitting’ prisoners in bold move
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